World Series Baseball: Microsoft Steals an Exclusive Company: Sega In a major announcement, Sega announced that the next installment of its World Series Baseball series will be exclusive to the Xbox. Developed by Visual Concepts, Sega hopes to deliver a baseball experience like no other. According to Xbox spokesperson J. Allard, ?Sega Sports has a legacy of creating some of the best sports games in the industry. The combination of the incredible graphics and gameplay of Sega Sports World Series Baseball along with the high performance of the Xbox hardware makes this title a ?must have? for all Xbox owners.? Already boasting advanced A.I. and the most complete Franchise mode of any other baseball game on the market, Visual Concepts hopes to up the ante with enhanced next-generation graphics, including new player animations resulting in more than 50 player emotions and new, more true-to-life movements. World Series Baseball will also feature all-new camera angles and new two-man commentary, making for one of the most authentic baseball games ever. The game will also include the new Cooperstown license, allowing gamers to play with 25 of the game?s greatest players. Sega also unveiled New York Yankees (sounds so weird to say that) player Jason Giambi as the game?s new spokesperson. In what is a multi-year deal, Giambi will not only appear on the cover of the game, but will also participate in events promoting the game, and may have some involvement in the development. Giambi, who is arguably one of the best power players in the game today, led the Oakland A?s to the 2001 American League West title and recently signed on with the New York Yankees. ?I?m thrilled to be a part of the Sega Sports team,? Giambi said. ?With my involvement, I?m hoping that I?ll be able to take World Series Baseball to the next level and make it the predominant baseball video game in the industry.? ?The combination of these two announcements is a great win for sports gaming enthusiasts,? said Tom Nichols, group director of sports marketing, Sega of America. ?We will be looking to leverage Jason?s expertise and knowledge inside World Series Baseball over the coming years in order to make the game not only the best looking and best playing, but also the smartest baseball video game on the market.? World Series Baseball will be released May 2003. -Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker